October 3, 2010
Newer may not be always better just as older may not mean wiser. A newer generation who refuses to learn from its past will become steep with stupidity. An older generation that is closed to new ideas runs the danger of being irrelevant and useless.
In our world, individualism is almost deified. Though craving for community, inter-generation contacts have been diminishing as more young couples are choosing to live alone. The media labelling the different generations such as ‘Gen X’, ‘The Yuppies’ and the ‘Baby-boomers’, etc. further polarises the generations and creates unconscious disdain and distrust among the different age groups.
If we heed the word of God, the church will have the real ‘feel’ of a healthy functional family.
I Timothy 5: 1,2
Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.
Coming from a dysfunctional family myself, I found God’s love most evident when I was introduced to a church in Singapore. I found the older folks accepting, guiding and loving me like responsible parents. Many of the uncles and aunties took me into their lives and homes and gave me a feel of how it was like to be protected and cared for. Many of the young teens under me looked up to me as their big sister and that taught me how to love and nurture others. In all aspects, I was healed emotionally and grow socially and mature spiritually in the Lord through God’s household.
I learned then that I belong to all the church members and all the church members are my family, “so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to ALL the others.” (Romans 12:5)
Thus, it is my vision to grow the BHLC congregation into a real family church where no one feels left out and where Sunday feels like a homecoming day.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
A Multi-cultural church
September 26, 2010
“Canadians are:
1. Either English or French
2. Bilingual
3. Peaceful and respect authority
4. Tolerant and welcoming to newcomers
5. None of the above
6. All of the above
7. None of the above and all of the above
If you answered 7, you’re a real Canadian. You understand we’re not who we’re told we are.”
Since the day-to-day contacts of our members are a mosaic of different ethnicity and colour, our church must reflect that multi-cultural and multi-racial mix of the mission field that is right in our midst. While predominantly Chinese, we must strive to consciously grow into a multi-cultural, international community of believers. A church that only reaches “its own kind” in a setting like Canada will be seen as ethnocentric and irrelevant and unfaithful to the vineyard that God has placed us.
In the next few years, we will consciously widen our sphere of influence in our social settings to deliberately win and disciple people of different races.
Revelation 7:9-10 will then be God’s will done on earth as it is in heaven. Hallelujah and Amen!
9After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb."
“Canadians are:
1. Either English or French
2. Bilingual
3. Peaceful and respect authority
4. Tolerant and welcoming to newcomers
5. None of the above
6. All of the above
7. None of the above and all of the above
If you answered 7, you’re a real Canadian. You understand we’re not who we’re told we are.”
Since the day-to-day contacts of our members are a mosaic of different ethnicity and colour, our church must reflect that multi-cultural and multi-racial mix of the mission field that is right in our midst. While predominantly Chinese, we must strive to consciously grow into a multi-cultural, international community of believers. A church that only reaches “its own kind” in a setting like Canada will be seen as ethnocentric and irrelevant and unfaithful to the vineyard that God has placed us.
In the next few years, we will consciously widen our sphere of influence in our social settings to deliberately win and disciple people of different races.
Revelation 7:9-10 will then be God’s will done on earth as it is in heaven. Hallelujah and Amen!
9After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb."
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